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At this point of the fantasy baseball season, if you are still in contention for your league title, you probably need more of a pep talk than you do actual fantasy advice.
You’ve been grinding for 5 ¹/₂ months and you probably see things like BABIP, wOBA and xERA statistics in your sleep. Your in-season management work should be applauded as your efforts have been first-rate.
But you know as well as any of us that it is far from over, and every point you accrue is earned. In an effort to lend a hand to your championship run we will continue to mine for saves.
Glancing through a variety of league standings across multiple platforms, the saves category continues to be quite movable.
In most leagues we see a team or two who dominate the category, but after that, teams seem to be bunched together, which means one extra save could be the difference between winning your league and accepting a second-place consolation prize.
Every league is different, but based on current roster percentages across Yahoo and ESPN, you should be able to find a reliever who can contribute to the category.
You can start with Rangers right-hander Shawn Armstrong, who has notched four saves over the past two weeks and seems entrenched as the team’s closer.
Rostered in fewer than 25 percent of leagues, the veteran may not have the strikeout upside of a traditional closer, but he seems to be getting the job done without much fanfare.
He has allowed just two earned runs over his past six appearances, but before that he made 12 scoreless appearances.
The Rangers remain in the wild-card race and close out the month against teams like the Mets, Marlins and Twins.
If Armstrong isn’t available, check out Nationals closer Jose A. Ferrer.
His strikeout upside is better than Armstrong’s, and he is rostered in just 36 percent of leagues.
Pummeled in the first half to the tune of a 5.03 ERA over 48 ¹/₃ innings, Ferrer has an impressive 1.29 ERA over 21 second-half innings and hasn’t allowed a run since Aug. 2.
Facing the Braves in late-September may not be great for save opportunities, but facing other teams such as the Pirates, Mets and White Sox should produce the save chances you need to advance.
When just a small handful of saves can be the difference-maker you need, rotating in relievers who see opportunities can be the key.
Armstrong and Ferrer would make fantastic additions, but you also can look to some like the White Sox’s Jordan Leasure, Baltimore’s Keegan Akin or Arizona’s Jake Woodford.
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Howard Bender is the head of content at FantasyAlarm.com. Follow him on X @rotobuzzguy and catch him on the award-winning “Fantasy Alarm Radio Show” on the SiriusXM fantasy sports channel weekdays from 6-8 p.m. Go to FantasyAlarm.com for all your fantasy baseball news and advice.
